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Comprehensive Mental Health Services

Perhaps the best way to illustrate how THRIVE provides comprehensive mental health services is through a story:

Jennie is 21 years old. Bright and friendly, her family suspects now that she has ADHD because of falling grades in middle and high school, followed by dropping out of college after one semester. Mom has spent years pushing Jennie to do her best, never really understanding the nature of her problem and not knowing what help to provide her.

The relationship between mom and daughter has been strained to the breaking point. The tension between mom and dad has been growing, too, as mom feels increasingly that "I am the only one trying to deal with this problem"; with dad taking a hands-off, wait-and-see posture with his daughter. Recently, Jennie has felt increasingly isolated from her friends who are moving ahead with their lives; lousy about herself; and depressed and anxious about her future.

Jennie's care at THRIVE begins with a comprehensive initial evaluation by a THRIVE clinical team, including a work-up for ADHD/ executive dysfunction, depression and anxiety. Jennie's parents also meet with the clinical team, and the growing challenges to healthy family functioning are identified. Jennie is diagnosed with ADHD, the depression and anxiety being viewed as mild and secondary to her problems with ADHD.

The THRIVE team points out that, although Jennie is the "identified patient", the family system also plays a key role in her emotional challenges. With this comprehensive, systems approach underlying the treatment plan, Jennie is referred to the psychiatrist to explore the use of medications to treat her ADHD symptoms; and to an executive function coach to help her learn the study and organizational skills that will help her be successful in college.

Several sessions with a therapist helps her deal with the self-esteem issues that have arisen because of her academic struggles. The therapist also sees the family to provide education about Jenny's ADHD and the role the parents can play in providing healthy support and coaching for her executive function issues. Communication issues among mom, dad and Jennie are also addressed and a more balance role for mom and dad with regard to helping Jennie are developed.

Throughout this process, the THRIVE practitioners work as a close-knit clinical team to modify the treatment as the family's needs change; and to ensure on-going communications with Jennie and her parents.

THRIVE's focus on comprehensive and coordinated care can be seen in several ways:

Care begins with a comprehensive evaluation -- The evaluation explores all possible underlying factors that might contribute to Jennie's current status: emotional, cognitive/ processing, familial/ developmental, social, academic, physical, self-care and spiritual. With this information, we are prepared to treat the person in their entirety, leading to more rapid and effective results.

Care encompasses the entire family system – although Jennie is the "identified patient", family dynamics has helped create and maintain her current status, and is therefore an important focus of clinical care.

Care covers the entire life cycle – THRIVE's practitioners have experience working with the emotional and development issues that occur at each life stage.

Care involves multiple treatment approaches that address all sources of distress and dysfunction, including medication management; talk therapy for individuals, couples and families; executive function coaching; self-care support; work and career coaching; and emotional self-regulation training.

Care is a coordinated effort among the professional staff and the family – weekly clinical meetings of the practitioners, frequent emails and phone calls maintain communications so care can be modified as necessary based on the patient's changing needs and can be responsive to mental health crises, such as suicidality, increased substance use, losses and trauma.

The caring relationship over time – relationship is at the root of all healing, and THRIVE strives to provide a place of safety and comfort that people can return to over many years to deal with their long-term healing and growth.